Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago

On February 19^th, the congregation at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago eagerly awaits a monthly tradition during the eleven a.m. worship service. A colorful throng of proud parents and godparents gather before the altar holding infants dressed in their finest white suits and dresses.  During this baby dedication and naming ritual, bathed in upbeat African music, families present their children to the congregation.  Meanwhile, the worship leader recites the ritual narrative, reminding the congregation of its vocation and its identity, "There is no task more sacred than the liberation of black people. God has called us to this task."

Trinity's congregation possesses a vital culture of call grounded in its own particular social and historical context. Here, the vital question,"What will I do with my life in light of my faith?" is contextualized and rearticulated in different terms:  "What can I do with my life in light of my faith to combat systemic social evil and further the cause of liberation for oppressed peoples?"  Race, culture and their relationship to the church shape Trinity's articulation of the Gospel and bear on the way of life to which it calls its members.

Trinity began to develop this liberative sense of congregational vocation in the early 1970's.  In 1972, preparing to call a new pastor, the church renewed its core identity and mission. This renewal was guided by two questions: what does my black identity have to do with my Christian identity?  And, what role should the church play in the struggles for liberation throughout the African Diaspora?  Trinity's location on the South Side of Chicago leant immediacy to these questions as black Christians increasingly sought to make theological sense of  the black liberation struggles of the 1950's, 60's and 70's that took place in segregated Chicago, across the war-weary United States and on the colonized continent of Africa.  From the theological tug of war between conservatives who suggested that Christianity is a colorblind faith and skeptical liberationists who insisted that Christianity is the "white man's religion," Trinity developed an innovative affirmation of its cultural and spiritual identities: "We are unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian." In 1974, under the leadership of its new young minister, Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., the church adopted this affirmation as its motto.  

Trinity's nascent sense of congregational vocation meshed well with Wright's own calling. Pastor Wright wedded several traditions of African-American leadership including the homiletical brilliance and public prophetic leadership of Samuel DeWitt Proctor; the African-centered scholarship of William Leo Hansberry and John Henrik Clarke; and the commitment to excellence in parish ministry exhibited by his parents, the Reverends Mary Henderson Wright and Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr.   Out of these and other traditions, he crafted an approach to ministry that is guided by the following vocational commitments:

-          Excellence in ministry and scholarship

-       The affirmation of women in ministry

-       Congregational pursuit of social justice

-       Renewal of the black church's connection to the African Diaspora

-     Commitment to theological education

The marriage of Trinity's congregational calling and Wright's personal sense of vocation resulted in a vibrant ministry that has served as an incubator for pastoral leadership. All nine of Trinity's associate pastors emerged from its own membership.  For example, the associate pastor for youth and children's ministries, Michael Jacobs, has been a member of Trinity since he was a teenager.  He remembers when he was first prompted to consider ministry, "I was in the receiving line after Rev. [Wright] had just preached a powerful sermon, and I said to him, 'Rev, I don't know what I want to do with my life.'  Then he said something that I'll never forget, 'Have you ever considered the ministry?' "Michael confessed that until that moment, ministry was not even on his vocational radar screen.  However, Wright's question in the doorway of the sanctuary haunted him for over fifteen years of what he describes as "running from the call."   Finally, after a long journey that included a long marriage, numerous jobs and a battle with substance abuse, Jacobs found himself in the same sanctuary where he had first been invited to the possibility of "the ministry."

Reverend Wright's recognition of Jacobs' call preceded Jacobs' own.  However, at Trinity, vocational nurture is not limited to "shoulder tapping" and poignant questioning.  Trinity invests significant financial resources in theological education and ministry development. The church, which has launched and supported over 10 ministries and institutions both in the U.S. and abroad, currently supports over 100 seminary students through its Ministers in Training (M.I.T.) program that provides an African-centered course of study and tuition reimbursement for seminary education for students who maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. In these and other ways, Trinity embodies a culture of call.

This vocational profile yields three significant insights about what it means to nurture a congregational culture of call:

1. A congregation's ability to produce and nurture the call to leadership in ministry is related to the strength of a congregation's sense of mission and identity. Trinity knows its purpose:  It has a mission to lift up and celebrate African-American heritage and to promote liberation for all.  Because Trinity knows what it is about, it provides a context for hearing a clear word from God.  Conversely, it will be difficult for a congregation to cultivate called leaders if it has not answered the question, "To what work in the world are we as a faith community called?"
2. Nurturing a culture of call means putting ministry on the "minds" of the members. Like Michael Jacobs, there are many gifted potential ministers in the pew who simply have not considered the ministry. A simple question may be required to introduce pastoral leadership to a promising young person's vocational imagination.  However the question is not all that is required.
3. A congregation must support leadership development and provides opportunities for a range of pastoral experience. Trinity does not just call people to ministry; it equips them with intellectual, spiritual and financial support.  A congregation must put its financial resources behind the invitation to ministry.

Few churches may embrace Trinity United Church of Christ's specific mission.  However, every church can articulate a strong sense of mission that will be inviting to others, and every church can remind others of the opportunities to minister.  Finally, every church can find ways to support, encourage and equip those among its members who may feel called to parish ministry.  In this way, Trinity, as an African-centered, urban church in Chicago, can serve as an example for all congregations who seek to bring God's healing into the world and establish more firmly their own cultures of call.